Chapter 3

On my first day of training, I only managed ten minutes of fast walking on the treadmill.

My back was completely drenched in sweat, my heart was hammering violently against my ribs, and my legs shook like jelly.

The personal trainer told me to stop, but I grit my teeth and pushed through.

"Five more minutes."

In my past life, every time I ran, my mother would stand behind me with a scale and a cold glare.

Now, there was no one forcing me.

Yet, my steps were steadier than ever.

When the fifteen minutes were up, I leaned against the handrail, gasping for air.

The girl in the mirror was flushed red, her sweaty hair plastered to her face, looking completely disheveled.

But I looked at her and smiled.

"Chloe, Day One. Done."

Over the next week, I did fast walks every morning and basic strength training every afternoon.

Her physical baseline was terrible.

Ten squats made her knees buckle, she couldn't hold a plank for fifteen seconds, and her joints ached.

I didn't force it.

If it hurt, I rested. If I was hungry, I ate.

The scale moved slowly, but my waistline was visibly shrinking.

On the eighth night, someone suddenly tagged me in the freshman Snapchat group.

"Hey Chloe, I heard you got a gym membership. Is that for real?"

Right after that, a candid photo of me was leaked into the group.

In the picture, I was wearing an oversized hoodie, dripping with sweat, struggling on the treadmill.

The group chat instantly flooded with laughing emojis.

"Is that treadmill rated for industrial weight?"

"The gym owner better have good insurance for the floorboards."

"Just give up. If you can drop from 200 pounds to 199 by the time college starts, we'll call it a miracle."

Someone then tagged @Audrey Miller.

"Queen Bee Audrey, what do you think?"

A few seconds later, Chloe popped into the chat using my old identity.

She sent a laughing emoji, playing innocent.

"Come on guys, don't be mean. It's really brave of Chloe to try and make a change."

"But Chloe, sweetie, don't push yourself too hard. Don't ruin your health just to try and compete with me."

The group immediately chimed in.

"Compete with you? With what? She's a hippo, you're a swan."

"Audrey is way too nice, still sticking up for her."

Then, Chloe sent me a direct message on Snapchat:

"See that? No matter how hard you try, you're just a joke."

"Two months until move-in day. I can't wait to see you walk onto campus looking like a total freak show."

I didn't reply. I just muted the group chat and went back to prepping my meals for the next day.

Real change is never made with words.

In two months, they would see for themselves.

I placed the eggs into the boiling water and set the timer.

The kitchen window reflected my full figure.

I reached out, gently touching the soft, chubby face in the reflection.

"Just wait."

"This time, I will make sure you walk onto that campus with your head held high."